Monument record MDO43276 - Iron Age burial, Quatre Bras, Bradford Peverell

Isolated discovery of an iron sword, pottery sherds and bones, presumed to be human. Although the bones and pottery sherds are now lost, this was probably a sword-inhumation.

Hilt of iron sword with bronze mounts. Bradford Peverell SY 6592. <1>

Early Iron Age Sword, unclassified owing to incompleteness. In Dorset County Museum. <2>

"The iron tang of the blade remains. The claw-pointed plate held the top of the pommel, but the latter, together with the grips, were probably made of wood or bone, and have perished. The bronze rings which encircled the grips are decorated with an incised pattern. Found with human bones and pottery, which were unfortunately not kept, at Quatre Bras, Bradford Peverel, near Dorchester. Given by Dr Hussey. Acc No. 1898.2.1. <3>

(SY 64209342) A gardener of the late Dr Hussey told me many years ago that the sword was found in the garden to the immediate west of Quatre Bras. Mr Chell pointed out on the ground the garden referred to. There were no further finds. <4>

Probably an Iron Age sword-inhumation. <5>

<NRHE site description>: Hilt of iron sword with bronze mounts. Bradford Peverell SY 6592. (1)Early Iron Age Sword, unclassified owing to incompleteness. In Dorset County Museum. Listed. (2)"The iron tang of the blade remains. The claw-pointed plate held the top of the pommel, but the latter, together with the grips, were probably made of wood or bone, and have perished. The bronze rings which encircled the grips are decorated with an incised pattern. Found with human bones and pottery, which were unfortunately not kept, at Quatre Bras, Bradford Peverel, near Dorchester. Given by Dr Hussey. Acc No. 1898.2.1. (3)(SY 64209342) A gardener of the late Dr Hussey told me many years ago that the sword was found in the garden to the immediate west of Quatre Bras (a). Mr Chell pointed out on the ground the garden referred to. There were no further finds. (4)Probably an Iron Age sword-inhumation. (5) <6>

<1> DCM, Annotated Record Map Corr. 6 Dorset Co Museum (Anon udt.) (Map). SWX2335.

<2> 1950, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 16, 28 (Serial). SDO16731.

<3> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 08-SEP-54 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<3.1> Display Card Dorset County Museum (Graphic material). SWX1314.

<4> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F2 GCS 24-JAN-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<4.1> Chell, Mr, Oral: Mr Chell, Muckleford, Bradford Peverell (Verbal communication). SDO20249.

<5> Whimster, Rowan, 1981, Burial practices in Iron Age Britain: a discussion and gazetteer of the evidence c 700 BC-AD 43, 345, 440 (Monograph). SDO17451.

<6> Garrow, D and Cooper, A, 2021, Grave Goods Project dataset, 72893 (Machine readable data file). SDO17407.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 453682 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 3 2024 7:52PM